155. Mandāravapūjaka (THA-AP157)

Having been the son of a god,
I worshipped Sikhi, the Leader
with mandārava blossoms which
I offered to the Buddha then.

That divine garland covered the
Thus-Gone-One for an entire week.
All the people assembled there,
venerating the Thus-Gone-One.

In the thirty-one aeons since
I did that flower-pūjā then,
I’ve come to know no bad rebirth:
that’s the fruit of Buddha-pūjā.

And in the tenth aeon ago
I was the king, Jutindara,
a wheel-turner with great power,
possessor of the seven gems.

The four analytical modes,
and these eight deliverances,
six special knowledges mastered,
I have done what the Buddha taught!

Thus indeed Venerable Mandāravapūjaka Thera spoke these verses.

The legend of Mandāravapūjaka Thera is finished.

Translated by Jonathan S. Walters.

Whitman College, 2017

Legends of the Buddhist Saints (Apadāna) is released under the Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike license.

This is the first-ever complete translation of Apadāna into a Western language.

For more information, visit apadanatranslation.org

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Ayya Vimala.